Moving from Sioux City to Ames
Sioux City to Ames: $158 less leftover
$2,402/mo leftover in Ames vs $2,560 in Sioux City after tax and rent ($158 less). −$1,896 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Sioux City leftover
$2,560
a month after tax and rent
Ames leftover
$2,402
−$158 vs Sioux City
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 33 households moved Sioux City → Ames (about 38 people, average AGI $31,061). The reverse flow is too small for the IRS to publish.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Sioux City | Ames |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,459 | $4,878 |
| Rent | $1,089 | $760 |
| All other costs | $1,810 | $1,716 |
| Left over | $2,560 | $2,402 |
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Sioux City and Ames moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 165 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,700–$3,200
- Container or pod
- $1,150–$2,150
- Rent a truck
- $450–$800
Other moves from Sioux City
Dig into Ames
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ames than Sioux City?
A one-bedroom is about $1,089 in Sioux City versus $760 in Ames. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $158 a month lower in Ames. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ames have state income tax?
Ames is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Sioux City to Ames?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Sioux City → Ames move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.